Machine for loading a stack of articles in a carton

ABSTRACT

A machine for loading a stack of articles in a carton which includes a carton erecting station and a carton loading station. A carton erecting plow device at the carton erecting station engages a flap of the carton and restrains and raises that flap to erect the carton at the carton erecting station as the carton is advanced. The carton is further advanced from the erecting station to the loading station. At the loading station is a pivotally mounted stack turning frame. A stack of articles in upright position is advanced into the stack turning frame. A stack advancing head carried on the stack turning frame engages the stack and holds the stack against stack holding flap means while the stack turning frame is swung to a position in which the stack is horizontal and opposite the carton. The flaps are released and the head is advanced further to advance the stack into the carton. A stack supporting tongue holds the articles up as the stack is advanced. When the stack has been advanced into the carton, the flaps of the carton are glued shut and the loaded carton is discharged.

United States Patent Molitor et al.

11] 3,846,961 Nov. 12, 1974 MACHINE FOR LOADING A STACK OF ARTICLES IN A CARTON Inventors: Edwin A. Molitor; Walter Elsten,

both of Miami Twsp.; Enoch A. Sergent, Ohio Twsp., all of Clermont County, Ohio Multifold-International, lnc., Milford, Ohio Filed: July 2, 1973 Appl. No.: 375,661

[73] Assignee:

53/252; 93/53 R, 53 AC [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS vH1962 Kerr 53/186 X 7/1964 -Hall 53/252 X Primary Examiner-Travis S. McGehee I Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James W. Pearce; Roy F. Schaeperklaus 57 ABSTRACT IA machine for loading a stack of articles in a carton :which includes a carton erecting station and a carton gloading station. A carton erecting plow device at the carton erecting station engages a flap of the carton and restrains and raises that flap to erect the carton at the carton erecting station as the carton is advanced. ;The carton is further advanced from the erecting station to the loading station. At the loading station is a pivotaliy mounted stack turning frame. A stack of articles in upright position is advanced into the stack turning frame. A stack advancing head'carried on the stack turning frame engages the stack and holds the stack against stack holding flap means while the stack turning frame is swung to a position in which the stack is horizontal and opposite the carton. The flaps are released and the head is advanced further to advance the stack into the carton. A stack supporting tongue holds the articles up as the stack isadvanced. When the stack has been advanced into the carton, the flaps of the carton are glued 'shut and the loaded carton is discharged.

10 Claims, 62 Drawing Figures PATENTEI] "BY 12 1974 SHEET 05 0F 30 PAIENTEUNUVIZIBM 3846L961 sum as HF 30 FIG. l2 F l-G.2O

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1. A machine for loading a stack of articles in a carton which comprises a pivotally mounted stack turning frame, stack guiding means extending outwardly of the axis of the stack turning frame, means for advancing the stack in upright position into the stack turning frame adjacent the stack guiding means when the stack guiding means is upright, a stack advancing head mounted on the stack turning frame and engageable with the underside of the stack, stack holding flap means mounted on the stack guiding means remote from the axis of the stack turning frame, means for advancing the head toward the flap means to hold the stack against the flap means, means for swinging the stack turning frame from the position in which the stack guiding means is upright to a position in which the stack guiding means is horizontal, tracks opposite the stack turning frame, means for advancing an erect carton along the tracks to a loading station at which the interior of the carton is aligned with the stack guiding means in horizontal position, means for withdrawing the flap means from the stack and for further advancing the head to advance the stack into the carton, and means for closing flaps of the carton to hold the stack in the carton.
 2. A machine as in claim 1 wherein the means for advancing the head includes a first crank pivotally mounted on the stack turning frame, a first link supported at one end at a free end of the first crank, a second link connecting the other end of the first link to a point on the stack turning frame spaced from the axis of the first crank to form a first parallelogram linkage, a second crank pivotally mounted on one of the pivots of the first link, a third link pivotally mounted on the other of the pivots of the first link, a support rod connecting free ends of the second crank and the third link to form a second parallelogram linkage, the head being carried by the support rod, means interconnecting the cranks to cause the second crank to swing through an angle twice as great as the angle through which the first crank swings so that the head advances along a substantially straight line as the cranks swing, and means for swinging the first crank between a first position in which the head underlies the stack and a second position in which the head is advanced to advance the stack into the carton.
 3. A machine as in claim 2 wherein the second crank is mounted on the pivot of the first link which is supported by the first crank.
 4. A machine as in claim 3 wherein the means interconnecting the cranks includes a sprocket mounted on the second crank at the pivot thereof with the first link, a stationary sprocket mounted on the stack turning frame at the axis of the first crank, and chain means interconnecting the sprockets, the pitch diameter of the stationary sprocket being twice that of the other sprocket.
 5. A machine as in claim 1 wherein a tongue supporting means is mounted at the loading station at the side of the tracks remote from the stack turning frame, a tongue is mounted on the tongue supporting means, and means is provided on the tongue supporting means for extending the tongue into the carton when the carton is at the loading station to support the stack as the stack is advanced into the carton to support articles in the stack as the stack starts to enter the carton and for withdrawing the tongue as the stack is advanced further into the carton.
 6. A machine as in claim 1 wherein the means for advancing the cArton to the loading station includes conveyor means, flight means mounted on the conveyor means and engaging a trailing side of the carton to advance the carton, carton holding means pivotally mounted at the loading station and engageable with a leading side of the carton at the loading station to hold the carton against the flight means, means for swinging the carton holding means into engagement with the carton when the carton is at the loading station and while the stack is loaded into the carton and for swinging the carton holding means out of the path of the carton when the carton has been loaded, the carton advancing means advancing the loaded carton from the loading station when the carton holding means has been swung out of the path of the carton.
 7. A machine as in claim 1 wherein the means for closing flaps of the carton includes an upstream flap closing frame, an upstream flap closing head pivotally mounted on the upstream flap closing frame, means for moving the upstream flap closing frame between a retracted position free of the path of a carton being advanced to the loading station and an advanced position in which the upstream flap closing head is in position for closing an upstream flap of the carton at the loading station, a downstream flap closing frame, a downstream flap closing head pivotally mounted on the downstream flap closing frame, means for moving the downstream flap closing frame between a retracted position in which the downstream flap closing head is in position for closing a downstream flap of the carton at the loading station and an advanced position, means for swinging the flap closing heads to close the upstream and downstream flaps of the carton when the stack has been advanced into the carton, free ends of the flap closing heads being spaced sufficiently to permit removal of the stack advancing head therebetween, and means for moving the downstream flap closing frame to the advanced position in which the downstream flap closing head is adjacent the upstream flap closing head when the stack advancing head has been removed so that the downstream flap closing head holds the upstream carton flap in closed position as the carton is advanced from the loading station.
 8. A machine as in claim 1 wherein the means for advancing the carton to the loading station includes a conveyor having flights engageable with the carton to advance the carton along the tracks from a carton erecting station to the carton loading station, means for delivering a collapsed carton onto the tracks with flaps of the carton extending outwardly of the tracks at the carton erecting station, a carton erecting plow assembly including a first lever pivotally mounted above the carton erecting station, a second lever pivotally mounted above the carton erecting station, a link connecting free end portions of the levers, a carton erecting head mounted on the link, means for swinging the levers downwardly to bring the head against one of the major flaps of the carton to fold that one of the major flaps, one of the minor flaps and the other major flap downwardly, there being a slot in the carton erecting head which extends horizontally and receives the other minor flap when the plow assembly is in a lowered position, means for advancing the carton along the track while the other minor flap is restrained by the carton erecting head, the levers and the link swinging upwardly as the carton is advanced along the tracks with the head and the link swinging from the position in which the slot in the head is horizontal to a position in which the slot is upright as the levers swing upwardly to a carton erected position to erect the carton, and means for swinging the levers upwardly further to cause the head to release the other minor flap of the carton, the carton advancing means advancing the carton from the carton erecting station to the loading station in erect position.
 9. In a machine for loading articles into a rectangular carton having a pair of major flaps and a pair of minOr flaps at one end, a carton erecting device which comprises track means, means for delivering a collapsed carton onto the track means with flaps thereof extending outwardly of the track means at a carton erecting station, a carton erecting plow assembly including a first lever pivotally mounted above the carton erecting station, a second lever pivotally mounted above the carton erecting station, a link connecting free end portions of the levers, a carton erecting head mounted on the link, means for swinging the levers downwardly to bring the head against one of the major flaps of the carton to fold that one of the major flaps, one of the minor flaps and the other major flap downwardly, there being a slot in the carton erecting head extending horizontally and which receives the other minor flap when the plow assembly is in a lowered position, means for advancing the carton along the track while the other minor flap is restrained by the carton erecting head, the levers and the link swinging upwardly as the carton is advanced along the track means with the head and the link swinging from the position in which the slot is horizontal to a position in which the slot is upright as the levers swing upwardly to a carton erected position to erect the carton, and means for swinging the levers upwardly further to cause the head to release the other minor flap of the carton, the carton advancing means advancing the carton from the carton erecting station in erect position.
 10. A machine as in claim 9 wherein there is an upper track overlying the track means and spaced therefrom a distance substantially equal to the height of the carton when erect, a switch is mounted on the upper track with an actuator of the switch in position to be engaged by an upper side of the carton when the carton has been erected, and the switch actuates the means for swinging the levers upwardly further to release the carton when the switch is actuated. 